Exercise for really fat, unfit horses

Chico Mio

Chico Mio

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Firstly, they're not mine!! I have a draconian regime in place for my two layabouts, but I have never had to deal with anything as obese as these ones

These are a friend's three horses. They have been running free on about 12 hectares of ex dairy pasture for the last seven months and now resemble horse-shaped tanks. Even the 19 yo who looked very poor going into winter is huge - and I'm pretty sure he's got dodgy joints. Friend has asked me to help him bring them back into somekind of shape as the rest of his family (whose horses they are) have lost interest and he can't do it alone.

He is going to start keeping them in at night and feeding soaked hay and will restrict their turnout to a much smaller area. Took me a while to convince him of that until he saw that mine live on fresh air. I cannot convince him that they would be better in during the day and out at night as his dad likes to see them out and about in the field during the day
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No horse sense at all there!

I think we should start with just going for walks until they lose a bit of chub. There is plenty of nice hacking with hills of all gradients around the place, so no problems there and I am used to hacking for miles. He wants to start hard schooling and thinks that the horses must be fit 'because they like to gallop about in the field' .

Any other suggestions for an exercise programme,please?
 
Walking, walking, walking and more walking, and then maybe some trot
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Seriously though, they will be fitter than if they were coming back from injury or if they were stabled 24/7 but not really fit enough to start hard schooling. I would hack out for a couple of weeks, gradually introducing trot and then build up to canter. I'd be wanting to do this over a month to 6 weeks before introducing proper schooling.
 
Thank you MF, I'm glad to know my ideas were on the right lines, just wasn't too sure of the timeline. I think a weigh tape might be in order too, so friend can see that things are progressing.
 
I would do a minimum of 3 weeks walking .. starting with 20 mins and building up until you are doing 1 and a half to 2 hours , stay on the flat for the first week and then gradually introduce hills mid / end of the 2nd week. Introduce trot in the 4th week, graually building up and I would start to do some easy schooling in the 5th week - 20 metre circles, transitions etc. Canter in the 6th week.
If they are still puffy and out of condition after the 3 weeks, I would add another week walking.
 
Not sure its a good idea to keep them in too much, they will just get less exersize than they are getting now.
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I would fence a small area off for them to restrict their grazing, maybe use a grazing muzzle on them until the fenced off area is eaten down. Then walk them out in hand for say 20 mins a day for the first couple of weeks, moving on to ridden work for 10 mins a day working up over a number of weeks. Remember to check their saddles fit though, before you attempt to ride them. No hard schooling yet though, or you will end up with 3 lame, fat horses.
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sorry-I dont mean to be rude but why have they been allowed to get like that in the first place? Unless I didnt reas your post properly?

As for hard schooling-their joints are already under serious strain and sudden hard work will probably cause tendon/ligament damage not to mention possible heart attacks!!!
Well done for helping and seeking advice though.
 
A brisk walk every day i would say for about 40mins, increasing the gradient work after a bit, then introducing some trot after a few weeks. You will have to explain to him that they need to take things slowly, the kind of exercise they get running around a field is different to an hour of concentrated schooling, think about it - its like a overweight person trying to run a marathon ! could do more damage than good! I slimed down and got my horse fit by just starting to school at a walk, alternating with hacking. Honestly my horse was rather overweight but although that didnt stop him galloping around with his field buddy (and jumping into the fields with more grass
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) , he would still be puffed out after 45mins schooling, its different types of work and over longer time, but all depends on how fat they are - weightape time!!
 
Agree with the others - walking and lots of it for at least a month. The hills will really help as well but the schooling is going to do more harm than good if its too hard and too soon. I would also keep them out 24/7 on restricted grazing - montior the grazing and only add the soaked hay when it is really eaten down and they need the extra fibre.
 
popsicle - You have hit on another issue there! I know for an absolute certainty that their saddles wont fit them at the moment. One of them has a back like my dining room table!!

Yes, we are going for the extremely restricted grazing - grazing muzzles are a non starter as daddy would have a fit. They don't get any exercise at the moment they are total pasture potatoes as there is so much grass they only walk one step at a time, I haven't seen them gallop in months!! We have a round pen (big) and a sand school to work in and all the horses are used to being longed. Right, we will be starting on the ground then, definitely.
 
I know they are going to start keeping them in at night - but that is quite hard work ... and unless there heart and sole is in it people tire of that level of work quite quickly .... so while they are still enthusiastic find a field rotation system that will help them have a relatively easy life and healthy horses (ie smaller fields kept as starvation paddocks!!)

It sounds fun though bringing them back to some sort of fitness!!!
 
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sorry-I dont mean to be rude but why have they been allowed to get like that in the first place? Unless I didnt reas your post properly?

[/ QUOTE ]

Long story: basic/poor knowledge of horse management and family issues just about sums it up.
 
I think you should keep them in..

I also think they should have hay and water and nowt else. Low grade hay is better than nothing as it keeps the gut function normal..

Other than that.. walk walk and more walk. Good luck.

Lou x
 
Walking and lots of it. In hand if no saddle.

As you said in your OP, their joints will be under strain already and cantering will only place them at risk of lameness. You need to be gentle with them!

Also be patient, it takes far longer to bring a fat horse's weight down than it does to bring a thin horse's weight up. (I'm sure you will be but from your OP I'm thinking your friend might be a bit less patient?)

Good luck with them.
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Thnaks Lou, we're going to need it!

Mine are in all night with hay and water and out all day in a 10m x 30m pen (moved daily) with really poor grass, just to keep their minds busy and the feet moving. They are looking good on it and it's what I suggested for the Tanks, but, in the end they are not mine so I can only suggest.
 
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